Inside look at Boston Bruins

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the Boston Bruins.

The Boston Bruins are entering a new era.

After 19 seasons, most of those as Boston's No. 1 center and the past three as captain, Patrice Bergerondecided to retire from the NHL on July 25, leaving a tremendous void for the Bruins in both their lineup and leadership.

The Bruins also lost another longtime center in David Krejciwith the 16-year veteran retiring Monday. That means that what has been a true strength of the Bruins for the past two decades, their play down the middle, could become a weakness in 2023-24.

"We'll do whatever we can to bolster that position," Boston president Cam Neely said recently.

For now, barring any late additions, the Bruins will turn to Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle to fill the void as their top two centers this season, when they will try to bounce back from the disappointing end to last season.

It will be a tall task, though.

Boston went on a historic run in 2022-23, setting the NHL regular-season record for wins (65) and points (135). But after taking a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference First Round against the Florida Panthers, the Bruins lost the final three games of the series, including a stunning Game 7 loss in overtime at home.

It was a punch to the gut for a team that had expected so much more, perhaps even a Stanley Cup to send Bergeron off into retirement.

But even without Bergeron and Krejci, the Bruins will need to find a renewed focus and desire to succeed if they hope to replicate the efforts of the previous two teams to set the NHL regular-season record for wins: the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning (62) and 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings (62).

Both the Lightning and Red Wings won the Stanley Cup one season after falling short during their record-setting years.

"We had an incredible amount of depth, and we felt that we put together a good team, but we fell woefully short in the playoffs with what our goals were," Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. "We know we're a competitive group, and we want to remain a competitive group and with an eye toward the future."

The Bruins tried to shore up their depth by signing a handful of veteran players to one-year contracts, including forward Milan Lucic, who played with Boston from 2007-15, including winning the Cup in 2011. The Bruins also added defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and forward James van Riemsdyk.

"I understand that I'm going to be playing in a different role, in a new role, but at the end of the day, my mindset is still the same as what I'm trying to achieve, and that's to try to win a championship," Lucic said.

Which is what the Bruins believe they can still do.

Boston will enter this season with a defensive group and goaltending tandem that is almost identical to what it had last season, with the exception of Shattenkirk taking the place of Connor Clifton, who signed with the Buffalo Sabres as an unrestricted free agent.

The Bruins' two goalies, Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, won the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the NHL last season, and Ullmark also won the Vezina Trophy as the League's best goalie. However, there remain questions as to whether Ullmark, 30, can replicate last season, when he went 40-6-1 with a 1.89 goals-against average and .938 save percentage, as well as whether the Bruins want to establish the younger Swayman, 24, as their No. 1.

Regardless, it's on offense that the Bruins are facing a fairly major upheaval, as they try to ensure that Zacha and Coyle can anchor the top six, which still includes David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, and provide enough offense to keep them competitive.

"We have plenty of opportunity for younger kids to come in and take their place if they earn it, but we've also complemented the group with players we felt needed to fill some holes and address some needs," Sweeney said July 1.

Whether it will be enough will tell the story of the Bruins' season in 2023-24.